Older People

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the Government has made of the likely change in the number of people in the UK who will be aged 90 years and over between 2012 and 2023.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated March 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the Government has made of the likely change in the number of people in the UK who will be aged 90 years and over between 2012 and 2023.
	Estimates of future population are available as population projections. The most recent national population projections are based on mid-year population estimates for 2012 published in 2013. They project the number of persons aged 90 and over in the United Kingdom to increase by 311,000, from 513,000 in mid-2012 to 824,000 by mid 2023.
	National population projections are not forecasts and do not attempt to predict the impact of future government policies, changing economic circumstances or the capacity of an area to accommodate a change in population. They provide an indication of the future size and age structure of the population if recent demographic trends continued.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he will publish the Government’s response to the consultation on its commitment to implement zero carbon homes by 2016.

Stephen Williams: The Government is currently considering the responses to the consultation on “Next steps to zero carbon homes—Allowable Solutions” and will publish its response shortly.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2014, Official Report, columns 509-10W, on the electoral register, with which national organisations his Department is working to encourage people to register to vote.

Greg Clark: Five national organisations have received funding as part of the Government's measures to maximise voter registration.
	The Government is working with a number of other groups such as the British Youth Council and Operation Black Vote.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 443W, on electoral register, what progress he has made with private sector credit reference agencies on ensuring the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.

Greg Clark: The Government is using public data to confirm the vast majority of electors on the register when the transition to individual electoral registration takes place this year.
	There are no plans to use private sector credit reference agency data.

Electoral Register: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 3 September 2012, Official Report, columns 93-4W, on electoral register: fraud, what assessment he has made of the reasons there have been no successful prosecutions for postal vote fraud since 2011.

Greg Clark: The Government has made no such assessment.

Electoral Register: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 19 June 2012, Official Report, columns 923-24W, on electoral register: fraud, how many successful prosecutions for electoral registration fraud there were in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014 to date.

Greg Clark: The Government does not collect this data.

NHS: Working Hours

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the taskforce reviewing the effects of the Working Time Directive on the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: There are significant clinical concerns of the effect that the European working time directive has on continuity of care for patients and the quality of training for doctors. Therefore we have set up an independent taskforce chaired by Norman Williams, President of the Royal College of Surgeons. The taskforce will report shortly.

General Practitioners: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will provide support for small rural GP surgeries additional to that provided through the new GP surgery funding formula.

Daniel Poulter: The Department recognises that the withdrawal of the minimum practice income guarantee (MPIG) for general practices has raised concerns about the viability of some small practices. That is why we are taking the next seven years to implement the change to MPIG funding fully. Phasing the changes over this period will allow the minority of practices that lose funding to adjust gradually to the reduction in payments.
	NHS England area teams are working with the small number of practices which are particularly affected. They are considering if different arrangements are needed to ensure there are appropriate primary medical services for local populations.

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortion notification HSA4 forms have been referred to (a) to the General Medical Council and (b) the police following scrutiny by his Department since 2006.

Jane Ellison: There have been no referrals to the General Medical Council nor to the police in relation-to HSA4 forms submitted to the chief medical officer.

Air Pollution: Death

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths attributable to long-term exposure to particularate air pollution in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: In 2010, the Department of Health's expert advisory Committee on the medical effects of air pollutants published an estimate of the mortality effect in 2008 of long term exposure to particulate air pollution arising from human activities. The mortality burden for the United Kingdom was estimated as an effect equivalent to nearly 29,000 deaths.
	Estimates of the fraction of mortality in English local authority areas in 2010 and 2011 attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution arising from human activities are published by Public Health England as one of the indicators in the Department's Public Health Outcomes Framework. For England as a whole, this figure is approximately 5.5%.

Ambulance Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will estimate the resource implications of requiring all ambulance trusts to meet category A eight-minute response time in all rural locations;
	(2)  what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of ambulance trusts serving predominantly (a) rural and (b) urban areas against the (i) eight-minute and (ii) 19-minute response time targets for category A patients;
	(3)  what plans he has to review ambulance response targets for category A and category C call-outs;
	(4)  if he will review the (a) response time targets and (b) resources available for ambulance trusts which serve in largely or predominantly rural areas;
	(5)  if he will make a comparative assessment of response (a) outcomes and (b) times for category A calls for ambulance trusts in (i) rural and (ii) urban locations.

Jane Ellison: No comparative assessment has been made of the performance of ambulance trusts serving predominantly (a) rural and (b) urban areas against the (i) eight-minute and (ii) 19-minute response time targets for category A patients because ambulance trusts are not confined to given areas and so can and do work across locations, including across urban and rural areas.
	A comparative assessment of response (a) outcomes and (b) times for category A calls for ambulance trusts in (i) rural and (ii) urban locations will not be made because data on ambulance performance is collected at national and trust level and as a result does not distinguish between rural and urban areas. Previous ambulance response time standards based on rural and urban areas were discontinued in the early 2000's, partly due to definitional issues and inconsistency of response.
	Work is currently being undertaken collaboratively between the Department and NHS England on how data can possibly be used differently to provide more insight into any variations in performance at a more in-depth level. However, it is important to recognise that ambulance performance data sits within a suite of data, including clinical outcome indicators, collected to provide a richer picture of the delivery of services to patients across the field of urgent and emergency care.
	No estimation will be made of the resource implications of requiring all ambulance trusts to meet category A eight-minute response time in all rural locations. Each ambulance trust is required to plan to provide appropriate resources to meet local demand. How a trust organises itself operationally to take into account its particular geography and any related challenges is its responsibility.
	NHS England has, however, done an assessment on the resources available for ambulance trusts which serve rural areas. This assessment shows ambulance services use advanced technology to accurately predict where demand is most likely to come from given past call history. They then station vehicles accordingly. Ambulance trusts also include the incorporation of first responder and co-responder schemes based out in the community to ensure skilled help reaches patients as quickly as possible. Longer term, local ambulance trusts are working closely with their local health economies to find innovative ways of managing demand including, more use of telephone triage and appropriate referral to suitable local health providers where that is clinically appropriate.
	Ambulance trusts constantly review their operational deployment regimes to attempt to maximise response times to rural areas. NHS England expects ambulance trusts to deal with all emergency calls on the appropriate basis, no matter whether they are from a rural or urban locality.
	As commissioners of ambulance services, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) supported by area teams must work with ambulance trusts directly to address any concerns they may have about performance standards generally and delivery of services to patients. The Department expects CCGs to ensure that the appropriate services are provided to their populations, both in urban and rural areas.
	NHS England is currently undertaking a review of urgent and emergency care, which is considering the way the system delivers services, including ambulance services. As part of the Review, NHS England is working closely with the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives to see what can be done to improve ambulance performance, including performance in rural areas.
	NHS England is focusing on whole system change to the delivery of urgent and emergency care, including new models of care for ambulance services; as a result the clinical and performance standards which underpin this new offer from the ambulance service may be very different to those of the present. Therefore, it does not make sense to make piecemeal changes to the current performance standards before we know the outcome of NHS England's review.

Ambulance Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the response outcomes were for each ambulance trust for category B calls in each of the 10 years for which records are available up to 2011.

Jane Ellison: The information is shown in the following table, but is not directly comparable between years.
	
		
			 Percentage of category B calls1,2 responded to within 19 minutes by ambulance trust, 2004-05 to 2010-11 
			 Ambulance Trust3 2004-054 (October to March) 2005-06 2006-075,6 2007-08 2008-097 2009-10 2010-118,9 
			 England 87.8 87.3 90.5 91.5 91.0 91.0 91.2 
			 North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust 85.6 85.6 91.2 91.0 87.6 85.9 87.0 
			 Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 88.4 86.9 91.9 92.4 90.6 91.1 93.7 
			 East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust 78.8 83.4 91.0 94.2 95.0 94.5 88.3 
			 West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust 93.1 91.6 95.6 96.0 95.4 94.1 95.0 
			 East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust 93.5 95.1 94.2 92.7 93.3 94.0 93.1 
			 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 81.2 75.2 81.2 84.4 84.5 86.4 87.2 
		
	
	
		
			 South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 94.0 94.3 93.8 95.2 94.6 93.4 94.3 
			 South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 92.0 92.0 91.4 91.0 88.0 88.3 91.4 
			 Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust 80.4 81.8 83.0 85.7 87.4 90.8 91.7 
			 South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 90.7 89.9 93.4 93.7 94.2 95.8 95.6 
			 Isle of Wight NHS Trust 97.2 98.3 97.9 98.3 96.2 96.7 97.8 
			 1 From 2007-08 urgent calls are included (previous years relate to emergency calls only). 2 Category B; presenting conditions, which though serious are not immediately life threatening and must receive a response within 19 minutes in 95% of cases. 3 Prior to 2006-07 there were 31 ambulance services: these have been mapped to match the later years for comparability purposes. On 1 October 2007 Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust merged with West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust. For comparability, data for these two trusts have been merged for all previous years. 4 Up to October 2004 category B was merged with category C, and we are unable to separate the categories prior to this point. 5 For 2006-07 the 14/19 minute response times were dropped with the urban/rural split and replaced with 19 minutes for all trusts. 6 From 2006-07 the number of calls, where following the arrival of a response no ambulance was required, were excluded from the calculation of the response rate within 19 minutes. Data will therefore not be directly comparable with previous years. 7 From 2008-09 the starting point for response time measurement was changed, data relating to 19 minute responses from 2008-09 are not comparable with previous years. 8 Due to changes in the category B 19 minute definitions for 2010-11 these data are not fully comparable with previous years. 9 Category B ceased at the end of 2010-11 and is no longer available. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre

Cancer

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in implementing (a) the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative recommendations and (b) the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative recommendation that services to treat complex problems arising from cancer treatment be commissioned on a national basis; and what assessment he has made of complex problems arising from bone marrow transplant in the context of such treatments.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is supporting a two year programme of work in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support to develop and implement evidence based findings from the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative. There are four agreed priorities:
	implementation of the four components of the Recovery Package;
	promoting the benefits of physical activity as part of treatment and follow up care;
	implementation of risk stratified pathways supported by evidence based surveillance; and
	improved knowledge and management of consequences of treatment.
	Improvement in knowledge of the late effects of cancer treatment, including haematological cancers to inform commissioning of services, is one of four priority work areas for the next two years. There are already examples of services being commissioned directly by NHS England to meet complex and rare late effects of cancer treatment. If the emerging evidence indicates the need for additional services which fulfil the criteria for NHS England prescribed services, then this would be the advice provided by the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative to the NHS England Board.

Colorectal Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were eligible for and participated in the bowel cancer screening programme in (a) England, (b) each of the five regional programme hubs and (c) each of the 59 regional screening centres in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12, and (iv) 2012-13.

Jane Ellison: The requested information has been provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of people who were eligible and participates in the bowel cancer screening programme in England by regional programme hubs and screening centres 
			 Number of people who were eligible and who participated in the bowel cancer screening programme-England 
			  2009-10 2010-11 
			 England Invited1 Adequately screened2 Uptake (%) Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) 
			 Total 2,642,091 1,445,596 54.71 3,460,901 1,976,445 57.11 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of people who were eligible and who participated in the bowel cancer screening programme-England 
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 England Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) 
			 Total 3,623,950 1,996,623 55.10 3,839,325 2,245,471 58.49 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of people who were eligible and who participated in the bowel cancer screening programme-Programme Hub 
			  2009-10 2010-11 
			 Hub Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) 
			 Eastern 578,535 329,403 56.94 696,296 418,378 60.09 
			 London 284,975 125,565 44.06 371,715 167,613 45.09 
			 Midlands and North West 636,800 341,418 53.61 846,664 472,703 55.83 
			 North East 426,920 243,605 57.06 588,772 345,346 58.66 
			 Southern 714,861 405,605 56.74 957,454 572,405 59.78 
			 Total 2,642,091 1,445,596 54.71 3,460,901 1,976,445 57.11 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of people who were eligible and who participated in the bowel cancer screening programme-Programme Hub 
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 Hub Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) 
			 Eastern 692,416 400,322 57.82 767,696 466,903 60.82 
			 London 405,566 183,249 45.18 404,338 194,613 48.13 
			 Midlands and North West 945,292 506,000 53.53 956,914 543,938 56.84 
			 North East 572,604 323,811 56.55 629,048 375,662 59.72 
			 Southern 1,008,072 583,241 57.86 1,081,329 664,355 61.44 
			 Total 3,623,950 1,996,623 55.10 3,839,325 2,245,471 58.49 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of people who were eligible and who participated in the bowel cancer screening programme-Screening Centre 
			  2009-10 2010-11 
			 Centre Invited Adequately screened Uptake(%) Invited Adequately screened Uptake(%) 
			 Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire 43,935 25,225 57.41 49,875 28,957 58.06 
			 Bedfordshire 43,114 22,770 52.81 32,042 18,329 57.20 
			 Berkshire 45,602 23,039 50.52 58,104 33,240 57.21 
			 Bolton 33,504 16,423 49.02 50,710 27,834 54.89 
			 Bradford and Airedale 26,325 15,113 57.41 40,180 22,039 54.85 
			 Bristol and Weston 53,141 28,089 52.86 46,708 26,774 57.32 
			 Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes 22,135 11,929 53.89 43,111 24,354 56.49 
			 Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield 57,504 31,093 54.07 58,238 32,538 55.87 
			 Cambridge 35,242 20,847 59.15 54,798 34,248 62.50 
			 Cheshire 40,063 23,943 59.76 46,036 27,421 59.56 
			 Cornwall 22,028 12,532 56.89 43,989 25,937 58.96 
			 County Durham and Darlington 28,720 18,040 62.81 45,137 26,956 59.72 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 40,873 26,052 63.74 67,309 42,197 62.69 
			 Cumbria and Morecombe 45,530 26,781 58.82 48,609 31,554 64.91 
			 Derbyshire 60,039 35,701 59.46 79,970 47,281 59.12 
			 Dorset 51,710 30,757 59.48 69,849 46,339 66.34 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 31,754 18,093 56.98 31,560 19,115 60.57 
			 East Kent 52,437 28,903 55.12 43,538 24,554 56.40 
			 Gloucestershire 34,162 21,301 62.35 49,866 30,580 61.32 
			 Hampshire 50,942 29,349 57.61 61,712 39,860 64.59 
			 Harrogate 53,091 27,845 52.45 73,168 41,206 56.32 
			 Heart of England 37,091 21,192 57.14 50,641 28,137 55.56 
		
	
	
		
			 Herefordshire and Worcestershire 32,907 19,073 57.96 54,413 32,490 59.71 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire 76,889 46,370 60.31 87,587 53,738 61.35 
			 Kettering and Northamptonshire 97,985 53,466 54.57 100,217 58,643 58.52 
			 Lancashire 82,534 43,869 53.15 96,171 54,932 57.12 
			 Lincolnshire 12,814 7,559 58.99 53,135 32,041 60.30 
			 Merseyside and North Cheshire 87,704 44,280 50.49 133,863 68,333 51.05 
			 NE London 52,176 22,234 42.61 68,539 30,265 44.16 
			 North and East Devon 35,567 20,727 58.28 42,140 25,351 60.16 
			 North Essex 60,800 35,011 57.58 79,933 48,721 60.95 
			 North of Tyne 41,656 23,478 56.36 66,105 40,509 61.28 
			 North Staffordshire 48,874 26,135 53.47 44,133 25,711 58.26 
			 Norwich 70,387 44,597 63.36 92,630 59,033 63.73 
			 Nottinghamshire 52,152 28,741 55.11 51,949 31,721 61.06 
			 Oxfordshire 4,983 2,669 53.56 40,134 22,209 55.34 
			 Pennine 41,379 19,660 47.51 30,645 16,798 54.81 
			 Peterborough and Hinchingbrooke 25,544 14,314 56.04 34,050 19,757 58.02 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham 47,797 20,750 43.41 48,774 23,035 47.23 
			 Shropshire 18,201 10,474 57.55 31,705 18,492 58.33 
			 Solent and West Sussex 39,940 24,887 62.31 65,131 39,333 60.39 
			 Somerset 35,069 20,463 58.35 44,629 29,324 65.71 
			 South Devon 46,802 29,065 62.10 55,732 34,635 62.15 
			 South East London 59,434 25,028 42.11 63,085 29,943 47.46 
			 South Essex 43,712 23,148 52.96 57,046 32,672 57.27 
			 South of Tyne 37,128 21,175 57.03 49,858 27,629 55.42 
			 South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw 69,071 39,167 56.71 113,509 69,782 61.48 
			 St George's, London 54,759 26,788 48.92 70,723 33,961 48.02 
			 St Marks, London 48,364 22,176 45.85 58,246 26,442 45.40 
			 Surrey 89,702 48,917 54.53 89,750 54,273 60.47 
			 Sussex 44,990 25,080 55.75 76,554 44,413 58.02 
			 Tees 47,141 27,818 59.01 61,822 35,177 56.90 
			 University College London 43,329 19,963 46.07 55,110 25,320 45.94 
			 West Herts 29,045 15,957 54.94 27,383 15,740 57.48 
			 West Kent and Medway 41,712 22,692 54.40 75,238 41,793 55.55 
			 West London 35,637 13,937 39.11 59,580 23,549 39.53 
			 Withington 18,411 8,700 47.25 60,872 29,861 49.06 
			 Wolverhampton 58,554 32,211 55.01 72,653 40,257 55.41 
			 Unknown screening centre3 - - - 2,707 1,112 41.08 
			        
			 Total 2,642,091 1,445,596 54.71 3,460,901 1,976,445 57.11 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of people who were eligible and who participated in the bowel cancer screening programme-Screening Centre 
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 Centre Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) Invited Adequately screened Uptake (%) 
			 Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire 52,485 31,037 59.13 58,120 35,215 60.59 
			 Bedfordshire 29,985 15,844 52.84 40,692 23,359 57.40 
			 Berkshire 65,548 33,836 51.62 69,469 40,550 58.37 
			 Bolton 57,381 28,195 49.14 61,898 34,550 55.82 
			 Bradford and Airedale 38,166 20,392 53.43 42,606 24,099 56.56 
			 Bristol and Weston 44,355 23,542 53.08 61,933 36,630 59.14 
		
	
	
		
			 Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes 43,425 24,672 56.82 39,643 23,135 58.36 
			 Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield 62,166 35,232 56.67 74,502 42,549 57.11 
			 Cambridge 62,917 36,870 58.60 69,753 42,965 61.60 
			 Cheshire 49,722 28,859 58.04 48,334 29,499 61.03 
			 Cornwall 44,043 26,172 59.42 39,792 24,251 60.94 
			 County Durham and Darlington 41,375 24,508 59.23 45,514 27,836 61.16 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 68,543 41,124 60.00 69,536 43,692 62.83 
			 Cumbria and Morecombe 62,017 36,875 59.46 57,349 36,901 64.34 
			 Derbyshire 91,530 53,743 58.72 99,373 60,292 60.67 
			 Dorset 77,809 46,501 59.76 81,985 54,367 66.31 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 45,455 25,388 55.85 39,909 24,740 61.99 
			 East Kent 38,383 21,934 57.15 45,823 27,009 58.94 
			 Gloucestershire 48,959 30,106 61.49 55,292 35,314 63.87 
			 Hampshire 75,359 44,023 58.42 76,221 49,053 64.36 
			 Harrogate 60,291 34,524 57.26 67,832 39,734 58.58 
			 Heart of England 48,870 26,697 54.63 64,075 36,248 56.57 
			 Herefordshire and Worcestershire 62,632 37,544 59.94 71,065 43,248 60.86 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire 95,878 56,724 59.16 95,792 59,303 61.91 
			 Kettering and Northamptonshire 78,474 43,402 55.31 124,391 74,720 60.07 
			 Lancashire 117,229 62,737 53.52 111,042 64,294 57.90 
			 Lincolnshire 47,876 28,778 60.11 33,967 20,687 60.90 
			 Merseyside and North Cheshire 136,052 68,233 50.15 136,739 71,998 52.65 
			 NE London 71,822 30,679 42.72 65,560 29,759 45.39 
			 North and East Devon 38,180 23,321 61.08 38,169 23,718 62.14 
			 North Essex 60,975 36,291 59.52 82,279 50,468 61.34 
			 North of Tyne 63,704 35,469 55.68 67,722 41,478 61.25 
			 North Staffordshire 52,068 28,883 55.47 48,282 29,058 60.18 
			 Norwich 92,431 58,603 63.40 95,526 60,393 63.22 
			 Nottinghamshire 50,025 28,675 57.32 55,265 34,409 62.26 
			 Oxfordshire 32,329 18,295 56.59 30,954 17,872 57.74 
			 Pennine 57,044 27,745 48.64 35,854 19,216 53.60 
			 Peterborough and Hinchingbrooke 32,803 19,194 58.51 27,070 15,789 58.33 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham 62,281 26,925 43.23 63,568 30,366 47.77 
			 Shropshire 33,926 20,176 59.47 32,267 19,463 60.32 
			 Solent and West Sussex 78,381 47,340 60.40 84,676 52,723 62.26 
			 Somerset 51,671 30,145 58.34 51,101 33,168 64.91 
			 South Devon 55,989 34,380 61.40 57,143 35,954 62.92 
			 South East London 73,760 33,088 44.86 69,653 34,747 49.89 
			 South Essex 51,460 26,883 52.24 60,614 35,280 58.20 
			 South of Tyne 49,932 28,239 56.55 57,025 32,587 57.15 
			 South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw 115,653 63,068 54.53 115,165 71,078 61.72 
			 St George's, London 83,180 40,958 49.24 86,436 44,694 51.71 
			 St Marks, London 57,299 27,515 48.02 56,899 27,840 48.93 
			 Surrey 115,466 64,327 55.71 119,185 73,620 61.77 
			 Sussex 76,885 44,315 57.64 80,822 48,517 60.03 
			 Tees 61,855 35,652 57.64 70,494 41,674 59.12 
			 University College London 60,107 27,546 45.83 62,359 30,636 49.13 
			 West Herts 39,556 20,966 53.00 44,227" 26,674 60.31 
			 West Kent and Medway 68,480 39,136 57.15 90,837 53,144 58.50 
			 West London 59,356 23,402 39.43 63,229 26,862 42.48 
			 Withington 60,520 30,604 50.57 67,825 34,363 50.66 
		
	
	
		
			 Wolverhampton 68,833 36,843 53.53 75,551 43,185 57.16 
			 Unknown screening centre3 1,054 468 44.40 921 498 54.07 
			        
			 Total 3,623,950 1,996,623 55.10 3,839,325 2,245,471 58.49 
			 1 Routinely invited: Those that are invited to participate in Faecal Occult Blood test.(FOBt) screening, as opposed to those that self-refer into the programme. 2 Adequately screened: reaching a definitive FOBt outcome of either 'Normal' or 'Abnormal' from potentially multiple FOBt test kits. 3 Patients with a negative FOBt result who have changed their address or GP during the screening process and therefore were never assigned a local screening centre. Source: NHS Cancer Screening Programmes

Food: EU Action

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency has carried out any research on the European Commission's published proposals to change EU Regulation 882/2004 governing official controls in the food and agriculture industries.

Jane Ellison: On 9 October 2013 the Food Standards Agency published a draft impact assessment on the proposals to change EU Regulation 882/2004 as part of a formal 12-week consultation. The impact assessment was produced in collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other Government Departments following a programme of events and meetings with stakeholders throughout the United Kingdom agri-food chain to understand the potential implications of the proposals on consumers, the enforcement community and industry.
	The impact assessment is being updated as a result of additional data and evidence generated by the consultation and will be kept updated as the proposals develop during negotiations.

General Practitioners

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed changes in the Immigration Bill on the role of GPs on the level of public trust in GPs; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: There are no proposals in the Immigration Bill to change the role of any national health service staff including general practitioners. The Immigration Bill Health Clauses set out the Government's intention to introduce a Health Surcharge as part of the visa process for those coming here for an extended period. Those that pay the surcharge will be able to access the NHS in a similar way to British residents.

Health: Screening

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that local authorities in England pursue a continuous improvement in the proportion of the eligible population offered and taking up NHS health checks.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) is committed to helping local government improve the uptake and impact of the programme. In the last 12 months PHE has supported local delivery and continuous improvement in offers and uptake by progressing action against the recommendations set out in the National Health Service Health Check Implementation Review and Action Plan.
	This activity has included sharing knowledge and resources through the programme's national website and networks; delivering a national conference attended by over 400 delegates; and supporting local government to transition the findings from our behavioural insight work into practice. PHE has recently introduced a national quality improvement framework, which will support local areas to focus on improving uptake and outcomes.
	In the coming year PHE will support local activity to improve offers, uptake and the quality and consistency of delivery through the development of a sector led improvement programme. The launch of new branding and a marketing toolkit that enables local leads to tailor information to their local population will further contribute to improving uptake. PHE is also partnering with NHS Choices to develop a new public-facing web presence for the programme to help improve the public's awareness and engagement of the programme.

Hospitals: Industrial Health and Safety

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Health and Safety Executive on health and safety in NHS hospitals.

Daniel Poulter: The Department works closely with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to ensure that NHS services are made available to patients, visitors and staff in a safe environment. The Department has been working with the HSE and the Care Quality Commission to ensure that the actions of the two regulators are co-ordinated in holding providers of health and adult social care to account for failings to deliver acceptable care, in line with the Government's commitments set out in the response to the Francis Inquiry "Hard Truths: The Journey to putting patients first".

Infant Mortality

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what outcomes he expects to be achieved over the next 12 months as a result of steps taken to reduce the level of still birth and infant mortality rates.

Daniel Poulter: We have made reducing infant mortality an area of improvement for the national health service in the NHS Outcomes Framework. Reducing infant mortality is also highlighted as an outcome indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.
	The Department is currently working in partnership with Sands (the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity) and a range of key organisations, including NHS England, Public Health England, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to take forward a stillbirth prevention work programme.
	The latest data from the Office of National Statistics shows that:
	In 2012 the stillbirth rate fell to 4.8 stillbirths per 1,000 live and stillbirths. This compares to a rate of 5.2 in 2011 and is the lowest rate recorded in England since the definition of stillbirth changed in 1993.
	Infant mortality rates have decreased over time in England, with 5.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2002 compared with 4.0 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012. There has been a decline in infant mortality rate in England compared to the previous year (4.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, 2011).

Livestock: Diseases

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of (a) Cysticercus Tenuicollis (adult tapeworm - Taenia Hydatigena), (b) Cysticercus Ovis (adult tapeworm - Taenia Ovis), (c) Hydatid Cysts (adult tapeworm - Echinococcus Granulosus), (d) Generalised (cysts identified in multiple parts of the animal including the musculature the consumer would define as meat) and (e) Cysticercus Ovis have been identified at official post-mortem inspections and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency since 1 April 2012. [Official Report, 14 May 2014, Vol. 580, c. 6MC.]

Jane Ellison: The following number of instances have been identified at official post mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) since April 2012:
	Some conditions are not recorded by the FSA. The list of conditions for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry were created following expert working group workshops for each species over the last five years. Members of the workshops included stakeholders from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Animal Health, EBLEX, BPEX, private veterinarians, industry vets, FSA, Association of Meat Inspectors.
	The data for sheep, goats, deer and horses is from April 2012 to December 2013 all other species is April 2012 to March 2014.
	
		
			 Condition Total number identified 
			 (a) Cysticercus Tenuicollis (adult tapeworm—Taenia Hydatiqena 2,144,395 
			 (b) Cysticercus Ovis (adult tapeworm—Taenia Ovis) 190,489 
			 (c) Hydatid Cysts (adult tapeworm—Echinococcus Granulosus) 69,685 
			 (d) Generalised (cysts identified in multiple parts of the animal including the musculature the consumer would define as meat)1 6,172 
			 (e) Generalised Cysticercus Ovis 2— 
			 1 Generalised—The figure provided the number of instances of the cystic stage (C Bovis) of the human tapeworm Taenia Saginata. 2 Generalised Cysticercus Ovis—there is no generalised data held for this. The individual number of incidences are reported.

Livestock: Diseases

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of (a) pneumonia, (b) septic pneumonia, (c) Pericarditis, (d) Septic Pericarditis, (e) Peritonitis, (f) septic peritonitis, (g) Oedema, (h) Emaciation, (i) Bruising or trauma, (j) Abscesses in offal, (k) Abscesses in carcases, (l) Pyaemia, (m) animals with septicaemia, (n) Animals with tumours, (o) Hydronephrosis, (p) Nephritis and septic nephritis, (q) Lymphadenitis, (r) Tuberculosis, (s) Erysipelas in pigs, (t) Steatosis, (u) Actinobacillous and (v) Actinomycosus in red meat animals have been identified at official post mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for an on behalf of the FSA since 1 April 2012. [Official Report, 9 April 2014, Vol. 579, c. 4MC.]

Jane Ellison: The following quantity of conditions have been identified in red meat animals at official post mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) since April 2012:
	Some conditions are not recorded by the FSA. The list of conditions for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry were created following expert working group workshops for each species over the last five years. Members of the workshops included stakeholders from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Animal Health, EBLEX, BPEX, private veterinarians, industry vets, FSA, Association of Meat Inspectors.
	The data for sheep, goats, deer and horses is from April 2012 to December 2013, all other species is April 2012 to March 2014.
	
		
			 Condition Total number identified 
			 (a) Pneumonia 2,799,461 
			 (b) Septic pneumonia 1,281 
			 (c) Pericarditis 594,408 
			 (d) Septic Pericarditis No data held 
			 (e) Peritonitis 466,518 
			 (f) Septic peritonitis 6,339 
			 (q) Oedema As below 
			 (h) Emaciation/Generalised Oedema 24,288 
			 (i) Bruising or trauma 197,187 
			 (j) Abscesses in offal 294,580 
			 (k) Abscesses in carcases 199,435 
			 (j) and (k) Abscesses 451,461 
			 (l) Pyaemia 33,414 
			 (m) Animals with septicaemia 6,069 
			 (n) Animals with tumours 1,490 
			 (o) Hydronephrosis 64,819 
			 (p) Nephritis and septic nephritis No data held 
			 (q) Lymphadenitis No data held 
			 (r) Tuberculosis 27,901 
			 (s) Erysipelas in pigs 9,908 
			 (t) Steatosis No data held 
			 (u) Actinobacillous No data held 
			 (v) Actinomycosus No data held 
			 Note: (j) and (k) Abscesses relates to sheep, goats, deer and horses. This has been recoded separately as the data is not recorded by either offal or carcase.

Livestock: Diseases

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of (a) faecal contamination, (b) cellulitis, (c) dermatitis, (d) ascites, (e) salpingitiss, (f) egg impaction, (g) peritonis, (h) pericarditis, (i) pericarditis, (j) foot infections or problems, (k) arthritis and joint problems, (l) septicaemia and fever, (m) tumours, (n) air sacculitis, (o) Marek's disease, (p) white muscular disease and (q) Aspergillosis have been identified at post mortem inspection of poultry and prevented from entering the food chain 1 April 2012.

Jane Ellison: The following quantity of conditions have been identified in poultry at official post mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) since April 2012:
	Some conditions are not recorded by the FSA. The list of conditions for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry were created following expert working group workshops for each species over the last five years. Members of the workshops included stakeholders from the Department for Environment, food and Rural Affairs , Animal Health, EBLEX, BPEX, private veterinarians, industry vets, FSA, Association of Meat Inspectors.
	
		
			 Condition Total number identified 
			 (a) contamination 2,853,768 
			 (b) cellulitis. 2,851,377 
			 (c) dermatitis 442,476 
			 (d) ascites 5,556,259 
			 (e) salpingitiss 205,517 
			 (f) egg impaction 1— 
			 (g) peritonitis 1,709,401 
			 (h) pericarditis 863,985 
			 (i) pericarditis 2— 
			 (j) foot infections or problems 1— 
			 (k) arthritis and joint problems 533,504 
			 (1) septicaemia and fever 3,981,157 
			 (m) tumours 380,892 
			 (n) air sacculitis 238,408 
			 (o) Marek's disease 1— 
			 (p) white muscular disease 1— 
			 (q) Aspergillosis 1— 
			 1 Data not held. 2 As for (h). Note: (a) Faecal contamination is not recoded by the FSA. The figure for all contamination has been provided. A figure for (g) peritonitis has been provided not (g) peritonise as described in the question.

Livestock: Diseases

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times the liver fluke fasciola hepatica identified at official post mortem inspection has been prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing thorough meat inspection since 1 April 2012.

Jane Ellison: The following table states how many times the liver fluke fasciola hepatica have been identified during official post mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) since April 2012:
	
		
			 Rejection type Total number of conditions Percentage of throughput 
			 Liver fluke fasciola April 2010—March 2012 2,771,130 8.6 
			 Liver fluke fasciola April 2012—March 2014 3,028,335 9.4 
		
	
	The data for sheep, goats, deer and horses is from April 2012 to December 2013 all other species is April 2012 to March 2014.
	Liver fluke is a common parasitic disease of both cattle and sheep in the United Kingdom, caused by the parasite Fasciola hepatica, and is estimated to cost the cattle industry £23 million annually (source: National Animal Disease Information Service). In cattle, infection is more commonly encountered in beef cows grazing poor wet pasture but disease can be seen in dairy cattle especially after summering cattle, most likely bulling heifers, away from home on infested pastures.
	Where this condition is seen in liver from cattle or sheep presented for slaughter, results are fed back to the farmers as part of the FSA's collection and communication of inspection results, allowing farmers to organise treatment of their herds against liver fluke, and improve future yield. The figure for April 2010 to April 2012 has been included for reference.

Maternity Services: Immigrants

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his policy that pregnant women resident in the UK will continue to have free access to NHS maternity services regardless of their immigration status.

Jane Ellison: Currently, only women who are resident in the United Kingdom on a lawful and properly settled basis for the time being, or otherwise exempt from charges under regulations such as asylum seekers and refugees, are entitled to have free access to national health service maternity services. Women resident here without permission who are not exempt from charge are chargeable for maternity services. However, guidance to the NHS is clear that no woman should be refused maternity care on the basis of whether she has paid in advance or not. The NHS will seek to recover charges after the services have been provided where possible.
	Under proposals in the current Immigration Bill, non-European economic area nationals subject to immigration control who are applying to reside in the UK for more than six months would be required to pay a health surcharge as a contribution to the costs of their health care and would not be granted entry if they did not do so, unless exempt from this requirement. They would then be able to access the NHS on the same basis as an ordinary resident, including free access to maternity services.
	The Government responded on 30 December 2013 to the consultation "Sustaining services, ensuring fairness: a consultation on migrant access and financial contribution to NHS provision in England", and confirmed that those not subject to the surcharge, i.e. short-term visitors coming to the UK for less than six months and those here illegally, will continue to be charged for maternity services unless an exemption from charge category applies.

Medical Equipment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what stomacare products were prescribed in each NHS Hospital Trust and Primary Care Trust in England in each of the last five years by (a) product and (b) manufacturer.

Norman Lamb: In terms of national health service trusts, the information requested is not held centrally as such products are not provided by hospital pharmacy, departments. In terms of primary care trusts, information is held but due to the volume of information requested, estimated at over three million records, and technical problems with extracting this, it could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whom he has appointed to undertake the NHS England Review into consultant-led obstetric maternity services at Stafford Hospital; and what timetable applies for (a) the final report and (b) decision by the Government.

Jane Ellison: The next step in ensuring sustainability for the local health economy in Staffordshire is the development of fully aligned five year plans. NHS England, NHS Trust Development Authority and Monitor have jointly commissioned intensive support for both commissioners and providers. The planning process will conclude this summer.
	NHS England intends subsequently to commission the review of obstetric services. A lead reviewer and review panel will be appointed, both of whom will be independent of NHS England and will not have been involved in the Trust Special Administrator process. NHS England has not yet determined the timetable for the review.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 26 February 2014, Official Report, columns 21-3WS, on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, 
	(1)  what his assessment is of the clinical services changes which can occur ahead of the NHS England Report and Government decision;
	(2)  how long it will take for the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (UHNS) NHS Trust to complete all contractual commitments, including transfer of undertakings from Staffordshire Hospital to UHNS;
	(3)  what the latest date is for the review to report acceptance of the Trust Special Administrator recommendations consistent with achieving University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust responsibilities for appropriate Stafford Hospital services by his deadline of Autumn 2014 as specified in the statement on Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Special Administration of 26 February 2014.

Jane Ellison: In their final report, the Trust Special Administrators recommended that Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust is dissolved as soon as possible. At this point, Stafford Hospital will be transferred to University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust (UHNS).
	All parties are committed to completing the dissolution and transfer as soon as possible. However the timetable will be driven by practical considerations and has not yet been finalised.
	Once services have been transferred, it will be for UNHS, working with local commissioners, to determine how to implement changes to services. This timetable will be driven by a range of practical issues and the need to ensure continued provision of safe services for patients.

Multiple Sclerosis

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the annual cost to the (a) NHS and (b) economy of people with multiple sclerosis who suffer from deteriorating spasticity.

Norman Lamb: While data is available regarding annual national health service spend on neurological conditions as a whole, spending in relation to patients with multiple sclerosis suffering from deteriorating spasticity cannot be identified. Similarly, while some cost estimates of the wider impact of long-term conditions on parts of the economy are available, these data do not identify the group of patients concerned.

NHS: Redundancy

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Gateshead, (d) the North East and (e) the UK have been made redundant in each year since 2005.

Daniel Poulter: In the context of a national health service work force of almost 1.2 million, the numbers of NHS staff made redundant in four of the geographical areas since 2008-09 is provided in the following table.
	Information is not available for NHS staff made redundant in the Jarrow constituency as NHS organisations do not specifically cover that area.
	Information has been extracted from the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Because ESR was not fully introduced until April 2008 it is not possible to provide figures before 2008-09. ESR includes data for the NHS in England only, not the United Kingdom.
	
		
			 Number 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 12013-14 
			 South Tyneside 10 15 20 5 25 100 
			 Gateshead — 10 10 5 5 0 
			 The North East 70 60 510 320 210 130 
			 England 2,210 1,830 5,520 26,820 26,780 22,660 
			 ‘—’ Indicates figure less than 5. 1 Period to October 2013. 2 Published figure. Notes: 1. Since 2011 the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has published redundancy data so figures since 2011 have been taken from HSCIC published information. For the period before 2011, Electronic Staff Record (ESR) data has been used which was not published. 2. ESR is the human resources and payroll system that covers most NHS employees. The data used in this reply is not centrally validated and its reliability is subject to local coding practice. Redundancies are identified by staff records with a reason for leaving coded as either voluntary or compulsory redundancy. 3. The following organisations have been identified within the geographical areas requested as follows: South Tyneside South Tyneside Primary Care Trust and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust. Gateshead Includes Gateshead Primary Care Trust and Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. North East Includes all organisations assigned to the North East Local Education and Training Board on ESR. Jarrow constituency It has not been possible to locate any organisations specifically covering the Jarrow constituency.

NHS: Re-employment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many National Health Service staff in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Gateshead, (d) the North East and (e) the UK who have been made redundant since May 2010 have been re-employed by an NHS organisation on (i) a permanent basis and (ii) a fixed-term contract basis.

Daniel Poulter: In the context of a national health service workforce of almost 1.2 million, the number of NHS staff made redundant since May 2010 and subsequently re-employed, up until December 2013, by NHS organisations in the geographical areas specified is estimated in the following table.
	Information is not available for NHS staff made redundant and re-employed by NHS organisations in the Jarrow constituency as NHS organisations do not specifically cover that area.
	Information has been extracted from the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) which includes data for the NHS in England only, not the United Kingdom.
	
		
			 Region Permanent Fixed Term Total 
			 South Tyneside 15 10 25 
			 Gateshead — 0 — 
			 North East 170 140 310 
			 England 2,630 1,420 4,050 
		
	
	
		
			 '—' Indicates figure less than 5. Notes: 1. ESR is the Human Resources and payroll system that covers most NHS employees. 2. ESR was fully rolled out across the NHS in 2008. 3. ESR data used in this reply is not centrally validated and its reliability is subject to local coding practice. Redundancies are identified by staff records with a reason for leaving coded as either voluntary or compulsory redundancy. 4. Only those individuals with a leaving date of 1 May 2010 or later and a hire, return, date of 31 December 2013 or earlier have been included in the total. The figure includes those who are recorded as having been re-employed with a substantive, either permanent or fixed term, contract. It is not possible to identify management consultants using ESR records. 5. The following organisations which use ESR have been identified within each geographical region: "South Tyneside" includes: South Tyneside Primary Care Trust and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust. "Gateshead" includes: Gateshead Primary Care Trust and Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. "North East" includes all organisations assigned to the North East Local Education and Training Board on ESR. 6. In a small number of cases, staff are recorded as being made redundant more than once. In such cases, only the latest redundancy is counted. Where staff have more than one start date subsequent to redundancy, only the earliest date is counted. Some staff initially re-employed on a fixed term contract basis who subsequently are further employed on a permanent basis will only be counted on the fixed term contract basis, and vice versa.

Parkinson's Disease

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to ensure there is a quick and easy way for a patient with Parkinson's disease to lodge a complaint against a hospital trust should they not receive their medicine on time during their stay.

Daniel Poulter: The Government accepts the findings by the right hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) and Professor Tricia Hart in “A Review of the NHS Hospitals Complaints System – Putting Patients Back in the Picture” that:
	vulnerable people find the complaints system complicated and hard to navigate; and
	there is a low level of public awareness of the NHS Complaints Advocacy Service.
	We want to see every trust make clear to every patient from their first encounter with the hospital:
	how they can complain to the hospital when things go wrong;
	who they can turn to for independent local support if they want it, and where to contact them;
	that they have the right to go to the Ombudsman if they remain dissatisfied, and how to contact them; and
	details of how to contact their local HealthWatch.
	To support this work, the Department has set up a Complaints Programme Board. This was established in December 2013 to bring together a range of partners across the care system to implement actions that will lead to improvements in complaints handling and assist member organisations (for example, the Care Quality Commission) to deal with poor care.

Public Health England

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) fixed costs and (b) annual running costs of Public Health England.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) does not currently budget or report on the split between fixed and non-fixed costs. In the following table shows the budget for last year and this year, split between day to day activity (net operating expenditure), that spent on vaccines and countermeasures, and the local authority (LA) grant, which is paid to LAs to exercise their public health duties.
	
		
			 PHE 2014-15—(cash) Grant-in-Aid 2013-14 (£ million) 2014-15 (£ million) 
			 Net operating expenditure 405.7 392.3 
			 Vaccines and counter-measures 376.5 376.5 
			 LA public health grants 2,661.8 2,793.8 
			 Total (cash) grant-in-aid 3,444.0 3,562.6

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Money

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 40W, how many offences charged under section 14(1) and 22 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 reached a first hearing in magistrates' court in each year since 2008.

Oliver Heald: The number of offences charged under section 14(1) and 22 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 that reached a first hearing in magistrates courts in each year since 2008 are:
	
		
			  Make a counterfeit of a protected coin with intent Make a counterfeit of a currency note with intent Total 
			 2008 2 22 24 
			 2009 0 4 4 
			 2010 0 4 4 
			 2011 3 17 20 
			 2012 2 12 14 
			 2013 2 13 15 
			 Total 9 72 81

Female Genital Mutilation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what steps he is taking to ensure that victims of female genital mutilation whose cases go to trial have access to the full range of support and special measures that are available to victims of other sexual offences.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recognises that appropriate support is vital to ensure that victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) are able to give their evidence effectively in court. The CPS legal guidance advises prosecutors that in all cases of FGM they must ensure that the complainant is aware of the special measures that can be applied for at court, and that applications are made in time. For all child witnesses there is a presumption that they will give their evidence in chief by recorded interview and any further evidence by live link unless the court is satisfied that this will not improve the quality of the child's evidence. Adult victims of FGM are also eligible for special measures on the grounds that they are likely to be intimidated witnesses in relation to testifying at court. However it is a matter for the court to grant the application.

Service Prosecuting Authority

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General when the next inspection of the Services Prosecuting Authority is planned by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

Oliver Heald: There are currently no plans for HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate to carry out an inspection of the Service Prosecution Authority.

Nuclear Power: Security

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the Government plans to take to deliver the commitments on nuclear security contained in paragraph 27 of the Hague Nuclear Security summit communiqué held in the Hague on 24 and 25 March 2014.

Michael Fallon: Safety and security are top priorities for the Government and there is a robust security framework in place for the civil nuclear industry. We seek continuous improvement in line with internationally established principles. The UK has a strong and effective independent regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), which ensures compliance with the requirements placed on duty holders by the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (as amended) and the performance-based National Objectives, Requirements and Model Standards (NORMS). There is extensive engagement between the Government, ONR and duty holders. The full set of UK commitments made at the Nuclear Security summit which go towards meeting paragraph 27 of the summit’s communiqué can be found at the following link:
	https://www.nss2014.com/sites/default/files/documents/140321_uk_national_statement_on_commitments.pdf

Plutonium

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the Government plans to take to deliver the commitments on nuclear security contained in paragraph 21 of the Hague Nuclear Security summit communiqué of the Nuclear Security summit held in the Hague on 24 and 25 March 2014 to keep the national stockpile of separated plutonium to the minimum level.

Michael Fallon: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has published strategies for the management of spent Magnox and Oxide fuel; it is from these spent fuels that plutonium is separated. These strategies are aligned with UK Government policy and their implementation is expected to see cessation of reprocessing in Magnox and THORP facilities during this decade.
	With respect to Magnox fuel, the intent is to reprocess all of it. Only a finite amount of Magnox fuel remains, which limits the amount of further separated plutonium that could be produced from reprocessing. Reprocessing is the only approved process for managing this metal fuel.
	With respect to Oxide Fuel management, an NDA paper sets out the strategy which is to complete the reprocessing contracts in THORP, as far as is reasonably practicable, and place the remaining fuel and any future arisings into interim storage pending disposal. The paper can be found at:
	http://www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/Oxide-Fuels-Preferred-Options-June-2012.pdf
	Both these strategies see the amount of plutonium separated in the future being limited in line with national requirements.

Broadband: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what targets have been set for the rollout of superfast broadband in Devon and Somerset; and whether Broadband Delivery UK has met those targets.

Edward Vaizey: The Government has allocated £54.72 million to support improvements to superfast broadband coverage in Devon and Somerset as part of its commitment to ensure 95% of the UK has access to superfast broadband by 2017. It has not set specific coverage target for individual projects. In addition, the recently published Ofcom European Broadband Scorecard shows that the UK now has the best broadband among the major economies in Europe, a year ahead of target.

Cycleways

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost per mile of building cycle lanes; and what steps he is taking to reduce this cost in rural areas.

Robert Goodwill: The Department does not estimate the cost per mile of building cycle lanes. Cycling infrastructure varies in design and cost due to the location and scheme design. The provision of cycling facilities is a matter for local authorities and as such they are best placed to determine the spend per mile for building cycle lanes. The Department does provide best practice information in cycle infrastructure design through its publication “Cycle infrastructure Design” (Local Transport Note 2/08). The Department encourages local authorities, both in urban and rural areas, to obtain best value in the provision of highways infrastructure.

Northern Rail

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) net franchise payment, (b) revenue support sum and (c) net subsidy are for the 22 month direct award of the northern franchise to Northern Rail Ltd.

Stephen Hammond: For the 22 month Northern franchise direct award there is no revenue support mechanism and there is a £632.7 million contracted subsidy over the full period of the franchise.

Railways: Tickets

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with Transport for London on the South East Flexible Ticketing scheme.

Stephen Hammond: As a key delivery partner for the South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) programme, Transport for London are a signatory to the SEFT Memorandum of Understanding and have membership of the SEFT Programme Board. This is intended to ensure that their extensive experience of developing smart ticketing in London is fully utilised in delivering the SEFT programme.
	TfL has therefore been fully involved in all significant discussions on the strategic direction, design and delivery of SEFT. Significant work has also been carried out with them to ensure that the scheme will interoperate properly with their existing infrastructure in central London, including system testing.

Road Traffic

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to relieve congestion on roads.

Robert Goodwill: This Government is committed to investing in infrastructure to reduce traffic congestion. This means spending £24 billion on strategic roads over this and the next Parliament, and accelerating the pace of delivery so that people affected see a difference more quickly.
	This includes a £500 million programme of pinch point schemes specifically targeted at tackling congestion on both the strategic and local road network, and a further £800 million being invested in 25 local major road schemes.
	We have previously announced £183.5 million for road repairs following the severe weather this winter and in the recent Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced a further £200 million funding for pothole repairs. Of this, £168 million will assist councils in England, with the remaining £32 million allocated to the devolved administrations.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money has been spent on repairing potholes in (a) Harlow and (b) Essex since 2004.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport provides capital funding to local highway authorities, including Essex county council, from the local highways maintenance capital block grant. Harlow falls within Essex county council's area of responsibility and therefore we do not allocate any funds directly to the borough council for road maintenance.
	Since 2004 the Department has allocated the following amounts to Essex for highway maintenance:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2004-05 12.626 
			 2005-06 15.782 
			 2006-07 16.682 
			 2007-08 22.428 
			 2008-09 20.706 
			 2009-10 21.361 
			 2010-11 20.959 
			 2011-12 20.728 
			 2012-13 19.838 
			 2013-14 122.482 
			 2014-15 119.873 
			 1 Includes the top up announced in the 2012 autumn statement. 
		
	
	The Department also allocated additional funding to authorities to help repair roads damaged by various weather events and this included a further £2.116 million to Essex county council in 2010-11 and £5.301 million in March 2011. More recently the Department for Transport has agreed to allocate over £2.7 million due to the severe wet weather the country has encountered.
	A £200 million Pothole Fund was announced in the Budget on 19 March 2014. From this, £168 million is being made available to councils in England through a bidding exercise. Further details on the fund will be made available in the coming weeks.
	Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant for maintaining their local highways. Neither capital nor revenue highways maintenance funding is ring-fenced and it is for local highway authorities to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services they provide.
	The Department for Transport does not centrally hold information on what proportion of this funding is spent by Essex county council on repairing potholes.

Southeastern

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he expects all peak services provided by Southeastern to be formed of 12 car trains.

Stephen Hammond: We do not expect all peak services provided by Southeastern to be formed of 12 car trains as demand on some routes does not require this level of capacity provision. It is for the train operating company running the service to best match its rolling stock with passenger demand.
	Through the Government’s Rail Investment Strategy, we are investing in additional capacity across the country, for where it is most needed.

Birds: Falkland Islands

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons his Department supported an officer in the Falkland Islands responsible for implementing the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels on behalf of the Overseas Territories.

George Eustice: Joint UK and South Atlantic Overseas Territories funding has supported a co-ordinating post based in the Falkland Islands since 2008 to, among other things, help meet obligations arising from the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), a daughter agreement to the Convention on Migratory Species. ACAP has been extended to the UK's South Atlantic Territories. DEFRA currently contributes £20,000 per year.
	ACAP seeks to conserve albatrosses and petrels by co-ordinating international activity to mitigate known threats. Collectively, the UK's South Atlantic Overseas Territories are breeding range states for 12 of the 30 species currently listed by the Agreement. The ACAP co-ordination project was established to ensure coherence of action between the territories, assist with the planning and implementation of albatross and petrel conservation work, take responsibility for the reporting requirements and lead on critical seabird by-catch mitigation work in international fisheries fora.

Flood Control

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 33W, on flood control, what the reasons are for the disparity between the figures given in that answer and those contained in the Red Book Table 2.1 Line 34 for 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Dan Rogerson: The figures that I provided in my answers of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 33W, relate to increases in Government funding for flood defence in England announced in the Budget 2014.
	The figures in the Red Book Table 2.1 Line 34 for 2014-15 and 2015-16 include consequential funding for the devolved administrations. The presentation of these figures is consistent with the rest of the table and the standard way of presenting fiscal costs in Budgets.

Hunting Act 2004

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Hunting Act 2004.

George Eustice: The Government has no legislative plans to make an amendment to the Hunting Act 2004. However, the Government's position remains that we will bring forward a motion for a free vote on the repeal of the Hunting Act when parliamentary time allows.

Hunting Act 2004

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has allocated staff resources or established a dedicated unit in his Department to deal with proposed amendments to the Hunting Act 2004.

George Eustice: Some departmental staff time has been used to look into the issues raised by Welsh farmers about lamb predation by foxes and the stalking and flushing out exemption of the Hunting Act 2004. This has not involved establishing a unit dedicated to this issue within the Department. Staff resources are allocated to look into issues as they arise on a flexible basis. The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to make amendments to the Hunting Act 2004 this Parliament.

Land Drainage

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2014, Official Report, column 558W, on land drainage, what funding will be made available to SuDS Approving Bodies to enable them to maintain balancing tanks and sustainable urban drainage systems; who will be responsible for providing that funding; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The Department will be consulting shortly on funding arrangements for the maintenance of sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) that will be subject to the provisions of schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what facilities exist for the retention and care of non-native wildlife species confiscated in the UK; where those facilities are located; and how many times such non-native wildlife species confiscated have been returned to the people or location where they were first confiscated.

George Eustice: Non-native wildlife specimens (including plants) may be retained for various reasons by the police, UK Border Force (UKBF), Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBG Kew), local authorities and other organisations such as the RSPCA.
	RBG Kew has a Plant Quarantine Unit and keeps records of all plant material entering its collections but not records of confiscated specimens that are returned to the people or location they were confiscated from.
	UKBF re-homes seized wildlife after having consulted with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the UK's CITES scientific authority for fauna, on appropriate location. It has not been UK practice to return wildlife to countries of export as there is no guarantee of its return to the wild or that it will not re-enter illegal trade. UKBF does not disclose publically the locations where seized items are held. All seized animals remain the property of the crown.
	No police-run facilities exist for the retention and care of non-native wildlife species confiscated in the UK: each case is dealt with on an ad-hoc basis. Information about returned specimens is not held centrally.
	DEFRA does not hold information about holding facilities used by local authorities and other organisations.

Slaughterhouses

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission a study on measures to accurately record incidences of mis-stunning in abattoirs.

George Eustice: The Food Standards Agency already records instances of mis-stunning in slaughterhouses; so a study in this area is unnecessary. Details were given by the Minister for Public Health on 24 March 2014, Official Report, columns 132-34W:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140324/text/140324w0005.htm#14032581000879

Commonwealth

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to increase the number of UK embassies and consulates through co-operation with Commonwealth governments.

David Lidington: We are committed to strengthening our relationship with our Commonwealth partners and believe co-location of our embassies, where it is of mutual benefit, supports closer co-operation, as well as leading to efficiency savings. We are currently co-located with Canada in Rangoon, Port-au-Prince, Baghdad and Bamako, with New Zealand in Kabul and Bridgetown, and with Australia in Beirut and Vientiane. A number of other co-location projects with these Commonwealth partners are in the pipeline.

Gibraltar: Spain

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether he has been informed that the Alcaidesa marina in La Linea has been partly constructed in British-Gibraltar Territorial Waters;
	(2)  how much of the Alcaidesa marina in La Linea has been constructed in British-Gibraltar territorial waters;
	(3)  what representations his Department made to the Spanish government on the Alcaidesa marina in La Linea; when such representations were made and by whom; and what further steps he intends to take on this issue.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and I have been informed that less than 0.0001 square miles of Alcaidesa marina encroaches on British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). My reply given to the hon. Member on 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 837W, noted that construction of the mole/sea wall and Alcaidesa marina in La Linea are historical fact. The mole was completed in the 1980s and the marina in 2008. A note verbale protesting the construction of the mole was issued in 1982. Earlier this year officials checked the records for 2008 and found no record of a protest at the completion of the marina. This Government has made our position on sovereignty over BGTW clear to the Government of Spain, including recently at a senior level.

Nuclear Security Summit

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2014, Official Report, column 189W, on the Nuclear Security Summit, which organisations made what suggestions to the UK's contribution to that Summit.

Hugh Robertson: The UK contributed three statements to the Nuclear Security Summit: a National Statement, a Progress Report and a Statement on the UK led Information Security initiative. All three statements are publically available on the NSS website. No body from outside HM Government contributed written proposals for inclusion in the UK's statements. There were discussions between officials and the following organisations as the UK's contributions were being formulated: National Skills Academy Nuclear; World Institute of Nuclear Security; International Atomic Energy Agency; Kings College London; Vertic; and EU Joint Research Centre.

Venezuela

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is taking to promote peaceful dialogue in Venezuela between the government and of that country and political opponents.

Hugo Swire: As I said in my statement of 26 March, I am deeply concerned about the situation in Venezuela. I am saddened by the deaths that have occurred, and condemn all acts of violence.
	We have called for all sides to take steps to avoid confrontation, reduce tensions and to create the right conditions for genuine dialogue to take place. I have written to the Venezuelan Government to convey this message and offered the UK's assistance in the reconciliation process. I have spoken to ministerial colleagues in the region, both during my visit to South America and during the Union of South .American Nations (UNASUR) commission's visit, to encourage their governments to help promote dialogue in Venezuela. Our embassy in Caracas urges peaceful dialogue through its contacts with a range of actors in Venezuelan society.
	A commission of foreign ministers from the UNASUR group of countries visited Caracas 26-27 March to support and advise on dialogue between the parties. I welcome this positive first visit which involved meetings with a range contacts, including with President Maduro, opposition leaders and civil society representatives.

Atos Healthcare

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the ministerial statement of 27 March 2014, Official Report, columns 56-8WS, on Atos, how much Atos has paid to his Department in order to exit its contract early; and whether he plans for the new contract provide for payments calculated on the number of assessments completed.

Michael Penning: The terms of the financial settlement are confidential between the parties.
	The Department is currently developing the financial model for the new contract and no decisions have been reached.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many and what proportion of employment and support allowance claimants in the Work Related Activity Group Atos has sought further medical evidence and opinion from the person's nominated professional.

Michael Penning: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have been given a prognosis that engagement in work is unlikely in the longer term have been placed in the work-related activity group for employment and support allowance since October 2008.

Michael Penning: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Outcomes of functional assessments by prognosis of two years or more for the ESA work-related activity group, Great Britain: October2008 to September 2013 
			  WRAG: Claimants with a prognosis of two years or more 
			 New claims—Initial assessment 11,800 
			 New claims—Repeat assessment 19,700 
			 Incapacity benefit reassessments 73,100 
		
	
	
		
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker's decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker's decision is not yet available. 3. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. It related to new and repeat ESA claims and Incapacity Benefit (IB) claims reassessments, In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead. Source: Data in the table above is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. 
		
	
	The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits claimants started in October 2010 with a trial in the Burnley and Aberdeen areas. These are included in the table.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many repeat employment and support allowance claimants have been placed in the work-related activity group with the prognosis that engagement in work is unlikely in the longer term since October 2008;
	(2)  how many new employment and support allowance claimants have been placed in the work-related activity group with the prognosis that engagement in work is unlikely in the longer term since October 2008.

Michael Penning: The information requested to answer both questions are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Outcomes of functional assessments by prognosis of two years or more for the ESA work-related activity group, Great Britain: October 2008 to September 2013 
			  WRAG: Claimants with a prognosis of two years or more 
			 New claims—Initial assessment 11,800 
			 New claims—Repeat assessment 19,700 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker's decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker's decision is not yet available. 3. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. It related to new and repeat ESA claims. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead. Source: Data in the table above is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.

Incapacity Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on incapacity benefit who have been given a prognosis that engagement in work is unlikely in the longer term have been placed in the work-related activity group since October 2010.

Michael Penning: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Outcomes of functional assessments by prognosis of 2 years or more for the ESA work-related activity group, Great Britain, October 2008 to September 2013 
			  WRAG: Claimants with a prognosis of 2 years or more 
			 New claims—Initial assessment 11,800 
			 New claims—Repeat assessment 19,700 
			 Incapacity benefit reassessments 73,100 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. The outcome recorded is the final DWP decision maker's decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare professional where the decision maker's decision is not yet available. 3. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. It related to new and repeat ESA claims and incapacity benefit (IB) claims reassessments. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead. Source: Data in the table is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. 
		
	
	The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits claimants started in October 2010 with a trial in the Burnley and Aberdeen areas. These are included in the table.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on how to advise clients on alternatives to warm phones for contacting Jobcentre Plus or applying for jobs by telephone.

Esther McVey: Warm phones have in the past, been predominately used for dealing with benefit inquiries. Following the introduction of an assisted service for benefit inquiries and the removal of warm phones, we will provide controlled access to a telephone if a claimant needs to make a phone call to apply for a job.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on opt-out rates of auto enrolment.

Steve Webb: The Budget announced that from April 2015, the tax rules for how people access their defined contribution pension savings will be simplified to allow individuals aged 55 or over to withdraw their savings however they wish, subject to their marginal rate of income tax.
	Allowing individuals to exercise greater choice over how they access their retirement savings may mean that some people who would have previously chosen to opt out may no longer do so. This is more likely to have an effect on the choices of older workers.

Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the investment strategy of the National Employment Savings Trust.

Steve Webb: The investment strategy for the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) is the responsibility of the NEST Trustees who will consider, if in the best interests of their members, there needs to be any change in NEST's investment approach.

Social Fund

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many outstanding cases of social fund loan repayments his Department is currently pursuing; in what year each such loan was issued; what estimate he has made of the total value of such outstanding repayments; and how much his Department is paying a debt management service to pursue such repayments.

Steve Webb: At March 2013, there were 10,118,298 loans outstanding relating to 2,940,087 customers. The following table indicates the age of loans and their volumes and values.
	
		
			 Age of loan Loans Value (£000) 
			 Five years and over 1,837,896 218,840 
			 Between one and five years 5,898,911 595,737 
			 Less than one year 2,381,491 373,729 
			 Total 10,118,298 1,188,306 
		
	
	The Department pursues all debts available for recovery. Where we have difficulty with locating a customer and obtaining payment from them we will employ a private sector company to do this for us; for year ending March 2013 we paid £880,000 and recovered £6.1 million.
	Data has been included for the financial year 2012-13, the latest year for which the audited Social Fund White Paper Account is available. The 2013-14 Account will be publicly available from July 2014.

Work Capability Assessment

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time for a work capability assessment is for claimants in (a) Torbay local authority area, (b) the South West region and (c) England.

Michael Penning: The average waiting time for a work capability assessment in the period from March 2013 to February 2014 is as follows:
	
		
			  Working days (number) 
			 Torbay local authority area 1— 
			 The South West 110 
			 England 71 
			 1 The information is not available in respect of local authority areas. 
		
	
	We announced in a written ministerial statement on 27 March our plans to achieve a reduction in waiting times and next steps, including Atos Healthcare's withdrawal from delivery of work capability assessments in Great Britain before the end of the current contract.
	Atos Healthcare will continue to deliver work capability assessments until contract exit and will still be subject to a quality and service credit regime. We will continue to work with Atos to ensure they can deliver the best service possible to claimants until they leave the contract.

Electoral Register: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the electoral figures were in each ward in the recent confirmation dry run conducted in Dudley Metropolitan Borough.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.
	Results for all wards are available on the Commission's website here:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0003/163146/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Wards.xls
	The ward results for Dudley metropolitan borough council were as follows:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Ward Green matches Amber matches Red matches 
			 Amblecote 85.3 1.0 13.8 
			 Belle Vale 84.4 1.8 13.7 
			 Brierley Hill 81.6 1.7 16.7 
			 Brockmoor & Pensnett 85.6 1.1 13.3 
			 Castle & Priory 83.7 1.4 14.9 
			 Coseley East 86.2 1.0 12.8 
			 Cradley & Wollescote 83.9 1.7 14.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Gornal 87.9 1.0 11.1 
			 Halesowen North 84.7 1.3 13.9 
			 Halesowen South 87.6 1.2 11.2 
			 Hayley Green & Cradley South 88.7 1.0 10.3 
			 Kingswinford North & Wall Heath 89.0 1.1 9.8 
			 Kingswinford South 89.4 0.9 9.7 
			 Lye & Stourbridge North 84.0 1.7 14.4 
			 Netherton, Woodside & St Andrews 83.4 2.1 14.5 
			 Norton 88.0 1.1 10.9 
			 Pedmore & Stourbridge East 86.8 1.4 11.8 
			 Quarry Bank & Dudley Wood 85.8 1.3 13.0 
			 Sedgley 88.3 1.0 10.6 
			 St James's 83.7 1.5 14.8 
			 St Thomas's 80.6 2.2 17.1 
			 Upper Gornal & Woodsetton 87.6 0.9 11.5 
			 Wollaston & Stourbridge Town 84.6 1.2 14.1 
			 Wordsley 87.0 1.0 12.0

Electoral Register: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent confirmation dry run conducted in (a) Sandwell Metropolitan Borough, (b) Walsall Metropolitan Borough, (c) Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough and (d) Birmingham City.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.
	Results for all wards are available on the Commission's website here:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0003/163146/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Wards.xls
	The ward results for Sandwell council, Walsall council, Wolverhampton city council and Birmingham city council will be deposited in the Library.

Africa

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many portable kits for diagnosis of (a) HIV and (b) hepatitis her Department has delivered to Africa in each of the last three years.

Lynne Featherstone: The majority of DFID's support on HIV is through the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). Between 2002 and 2012, GFATM supported programmes provided 89 million HIV counselling and testing sessions in sub-Saharan Africa; the UK provided approximately 9% of total funding to GFATM in this period.
	DFID contributes to prevention and control of diseases causing hepatitis in African countries through support to the GAVI Alliance (vaccines and immunisation), water, sanitation and hygiene programmes, and work to strengthen health systems and services.

Developing Countries: Water

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government offered for World Water Day 2014.

Lynne Featherstone: This year the United Nations dedicated World Water Day to draw attention to the challenge of meeting water and energy demands. DFID policy teams organised two events with external speakers to promote the day and water issues. The first was to raise awareness of the role of water security in promoting human and economic development, and the second to examine how private sector, technology and innovation can improve the functionality of water supplies.
	The Global Water Partnership, which is supported by DFID, used World Water Day to launch its new strategy “Towards 2020”, which focuses upon innovative and multi-sectoral approaches to tackle water resource management The World Bank's Water Partnership Programme, also supported by DFID, used the day to highlight their Thirsty Energy Programme.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to reform anti-social behaviour orders; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Government’s reforms are contained in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The Act will introduce two new powers, a civil injunction and the criminal behaviour order, to replace antisocial behaviour orders. Unlike antisocial behaviour orders, the new powers will not focus solely on enforcement but can include positive requirements to ensure individuals address the underlying causes of their behaviour.

Crime: Greater Manchester

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes to the funding of Greater Manchester police on crime rates in that region.

Damian Green: The funding settlement for the police is a challenging one. However, as the vast majority of forces, including Greater Manchester police are demonstrating, it is manageable. The latest report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (Policing in Austerity: Rising to the Challenge July 2013) found that crime is falling and the proportion of officers on the front line is increasing. The Government has protected the police from the additional 2014-15 reductions that were announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), autumn statement of 5 December 2013, Official Report, columns 1101-13, which means the police will face a 3.3% cash reduction in central Government funding (5.75% in real terms) compared to 2013-14. Once future police precept income is taken into account, the reduction in overall funding is even lower.
	In the Greater Manchester police force areas, recorded crime fell by 7% between September 2012 and September 2013.

Driving: Licensing

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 238W, on driving: licensing, what proportion of new drivers obtaining driving convictions were offered speed awareness courses in each year since 2010.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 March 2014, Official Report, column 372W.
	The number of drivers who opted for a speed awareness course rather than accept penalty points on their driving licence in 2010 is 447,724, 2011 is 772,430, 2012 is 926,101 and 2013 is 953,428. The offer of a speed awareness course is at the discretion of the police. To be deemed eligible, there must be no excessive speed or other offences committed at the same time. Information on previous motoring convictions is not taken into account.

Proceeds of Crime

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assets of criminal origin have been repatriated from the UK to jurisdictions overseas in each year since 2008-09.

Karen Bradley: The serious and organised crime strategy sets out how the Government intends to improve the tackling of criminal finances both in the UK and overseas. This includes developing asset sharing agreements with other countries in order to improve international co-operation on asset recovery. Although no assets have been repatriated to another country since 2008-09, there are a number of ongoing investigations, particularly as part of the Arab Spring Asset Recovery Taskforce, about which it is not possible to comment further at this stage.

Armed Forces Day: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to hold Armed Forces Day events in Northern Ireland in June 2014.

Philip Dunne: Armed Forces Day events provide opportunities for the nation to show its support for the armed forces community. These events are community-led and can come hi many different forms, from the national event through to local events organised by councils, ex-service organisations, community groups and schools.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold armed forces events, apart from the national event held this year in Stirling, but we do invite local authorities and community organisations to consider hosting an event and to apply for funding from the MOD. Part-funding applications have been received for the Northern Ireland Regional Armed Forces Day event which is scheduled to take place in Ards on 21 June, events in Articlave on 27 and 28 June and for an event planned by Carrickfergus borough council to take place on 28 June. As further events are registered by their organisers, they will be published on the Armed Forces Day website:
	www.armedforcesday.org.uk

Military Police

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service police there were in (a) each branch of the armed forces and (b) the Special Investigations Branch in the last year for which data is available; how many such police have received specialist training in the investigation of sexual offences; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The following table shows the number of naval service police, Army Royal Military Police and Royal Air Force Police in the armed forces and the number of personnel in each of the Special Investigation Branches (SIB), as of 1 February 2014.
	
		
			 Service Number of service police Number of personnel in the SIB 
			 Naval service 290 30 
			 Army 1,970 1170 
		
	
	
		
			 RAF 1,140 70 
			 1 Figures include Royal Military Police (SIB) personnel by trade group and officers currently serving in the RMP (SIB) Regiment. Note: Data has been rounded to the nearest 10 except when ending in 5, where numbers have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias. 
		
	
	All service police undertake training at the Defence College of Policing and Guarding (DCPG). This includes general training in the form of the Initial Military Police Training Course, undertaken by personnel at the start of their careers; the Volume Crime Investigation Course, undertaken by personnel who have served for three-four years; and the Serious Crime Investigation Course, which all members of the SIB must pass before joining it. These courses incorporate training on the handling of sexual offences at various levels, including elements on sexual offences legislation; investigative techniques; forensic awareness; dealing with witnesses and suspects; the preservation of evidence; and interaction with victims.
	In addition, selected service police attend a range of specialist and advanced detective training at the DCPG and external, nationally recognised training providers (such as civilian police forces). This training includes the Senior Investigating Officer course, Crime Scene Analysis and Tier 3-5 Interviewing Courses, all of which are relevant to the investigation of a serious sexual offence.
	Service police also attend training primarily designed to cover the investigation of sexual offences. The following table shows the numbers who have attended these courses:
	
		
			  Course title and number of attendees 
			 Service Sexual Offences Investigation Training (SOIT) Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) Specialist Child Abuse Investigator Development Programme (SCAIDP) 
			 Naval service 20 40 - 
			 Army 30 25 10 
			 RAF 10 10 - 
			 ‘-’ means less than 5 Note: Data has been rounded to the nearest 10 except when ending in 5, where numbers have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

NATO

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the origins are of the NATO target for allies to spend two per cent of gross domestic product on defence; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: NATO Resource Guidance first emerged during the Cold War. NATO introduced the current guideline that allies should spend 2% of gross domestic product on defence in 2006.

Air Passenger Duty

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of the removal of air passenger duty (APD) on the number of passengers travelling between Belfast and Newark International; and if he will take that assessment into account when considering changes to levels of APD for other flights from and within the UK.

Nicky Morgan: The Government does not monitor passenger volumes on individual routes. The published statistics on air passenger duty, including information on passenger numbers by band, are available at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutyBulletins.aspx
	The published statistics on airport passenger volumes are available at:
	http://www.caa.co.uk/airportstatistics
	Budget 2014 announced the reform of air passenger duty with the abolition of bands C and D from 1 April 2015. This will eliminate the two highest rates of air passenger duty charged on flights to countries over 4,000 miles from Britain, cutting tax for millions for passengers to travelling to China, India, Brazil and many other emerging markets. This will mean that flights to South Asia and the Caribbean will pay tax at the lower band B rate.
	Air passenger duty is a relatively efficient and non-regressive tax, which makes an important contribution to the public finances.

Coinage

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely costs to businesses of the introduction of a new one pound coin.

Nicky Morgan: The Budget announced that the existing £1 coin will be replaced with a more modern and secure design. After 30 years in circulation, the current coin has become vulnerable to counterfeiting.
	There will be a public consultation this summer that will focus on how to manage impacts on industry and other affected parties. The Government is committed to working with industry to minimise costs and disruption.
	The Government plans for the new coin to be introduced in 2017. This timeline was decided expressly to allow industry three years to plan for the change.

Working Hours

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of employees in his Department of each (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time.

Nicky Morgan: The proportion of employees in HM Treasury at each of the pay grades work part-time as at the end of February 2014, are listed in the table (i). See table (ii) for the proportion by gender.
	
		
			 Table (i) 
			 Range/Grade Percentage 
			 Range B (AO/AA equivalent) 10.1 
			 Range C (EO equivalent) 13.2 
			 Range D (SEO/HEO equivalent) 3.1 
			 Range E (Grade 7 equivalent) 8.4 
			 Range E2 (Grade 6 equivalent) 12.5 
			 SCS 13.6 
			 Specialist grade 21.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Table (ii) 
			 Gender Percentage 
			 Male 1.3 
			 Female 6.9 
		
	
	All staff, apart from SCS, have the facility to work flex-time. However we do not record this-centrally.
	HM Treasury have not requested any staff to work reduced hours.
	The information requested on the proportion of employees in the department by civil service grade and gender who work, from home, a compressed working week, job share and term time only, would only be able to be provided at disproportionate costs, as we do not hold this information centrally.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what interaction the National Panel on Serious Case Reviews has had with the Local Safeguarding Children's Board Network.

Edward Timpson: The national panel of independent experts on Serious Case Reviews has met the chair of the Association of Independent Local Safeguarding Children Board Chairs, twice, most recently on 10 March 2014.

Criminal Proceedings

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of time between judgement and sentencing in criminal trials in England was in the latest period for which figures are available; and what assessment he has made of the trends in the time taken.

Shailesh Vara: HMCTS can only answer this question for trials in the Crown court. The case management database for magistrates courts does not hold the date of conviction in a way we can calculate the time from conviction to sentence for all defendants so the only way we could answer the question would be to manually check each case file which would incur disproportionate costs.
	The Crown court database does and the following table shows the average length between the latest conviction date in a trial and the date of sentence. The trend has seen the time between conviction and sentence falling from an average of 35.8 calendar days in 2007-08 to 24.6 calendar days in the first half of 2013-14. When a trial has more than one offence, the jury may not reach verdicts against all on the same day, and the sentence cannot take place until all offences have a verdict.
	
		
			 Average length between conviction and sentence in Crown court centres in England for defendants sentenced between April and September 2013 
			 Period Average calendar days 
			 April to September 2013 24.6 
			 2012-13 28.2 
			 2011-12 28.2 
			 2010-11 30.2 
			 2009-10 32.8 
			 2008-09 34.4 
			 2007-08 35.8 
			 Notes: 1. The average number of calendar days between the latest jury conviction date and the earliest substantial sentence date. 2. Includes cases where the defendant changes their plea to guilty during the trial. 3. This is internal management information run specifically to answer this question. The judiciary are able to sentence following conviction without the need for additional hearings as a result of initiatives currently in place. The judicially lead early guilty plea scheme aims to have guilty plea cases concluded at a single hearing. Similarly, the probation service are able to provide reports on the day of conviction to facilitate the sentencing of the defendant.

Fines

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total amount of fines levied on but uncollected from people found guilty of non-payment of (a) a television licence, (b) vehicle excise duty and (c) council tax was on 1 March 2014.

Shailesh Vara: It is not possible to identify from Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals systems the vale of fines that remain outstanding for specific offences. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as identifying this would require a manual search of all fine accounts.

Offences Against Children

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section (a) 1, where the victim was a child, and (b) 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 in each of the last four years.

Damian Green: Our laws in these areas are robust and clear. The Government takes very seriously all matters relating to the sexual abuse of children. Those who commit sexual offences are more likely to go to prison now than in 2010.
	The number of defendants convicted of offences under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the victim was a child under 16, together with all offences under sections 2, 5, 6 and 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 can be viewed in the table. As the Sexual Offences Act 2003 replaced the Sexual Offences Act 1956 for these offences all proceedings reflect that Act too, as per the footnote.
	Statistics in respect of victims of offences under section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003—cannot be broken down by age.
	Also, my department's Court Proceedings Database holds information on criminal justice statistics only in England and Wales. Criminal Justice Statistics in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland. Likewise, Criminal Justice Statistics in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.
	
		
			 Offenders found guilty of offences under the Sexual Offences Act2003, England and Wales, 2008-121,2 
			  20083 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Section 14 294 332 326 372 340 
			 Section 25 128 141 168 186 186 
			 Section 56 179 180 224 270 247 
			 Section 67 88 89 118 115 111 
		
	
	
		
			 Section 78 355 321 350 376 320 
			 1 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. 4 Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 includes rape of a male or female child aged under 16 and attempted rape of male or female child under 16. 5 Section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of assault by penetration, but does not separately identify the age of the victim 6 Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of rape and attempted rape of children under 13 by a male. 7 S6 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of assault of children under 13 by penetration. 8 S7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of sexual assault of children under 13. Note: Section 1 and 5 data also includes those proceedings and outcomes under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Offences Against Children

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to sections (a) 1 and 2 where the victim was a child, and (b) 5, 6 and 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each of the last four years.

Damian Green: Our laws in these areas are robust and clear. The Government takes very seriously all matters relating to the sexual abuse of children. Those who commit sexual offences are more likely to go to prison now than in 2010.
	The number of defendants convicted of offences under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the victim was a child under 16, together with all offences under sections 2, 5, 6 and 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 can be viewed in the table. As the Sexual Offences Act 2003 replaced the Sexual Offences Act 1956 for these offences all proceedings reflect that Act too, as per the footnote.
	Statistics in respect of victims of offences under section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 cannot be broken down by age.
	Also, my Department's Court Proceedings Database holds information on criminal justice statistics only in England and Wales. Criminal Justice Statistics in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland. Likewise, Criminal Justice Statistics in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.
	
		
			 Offenders found guilty of offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, England and Wales, 2008-121, 2 
			  20083 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Section 14 294 332 326 372 340 
			 Section 25 128 141 168 186 186 
			 Section 56 179 180 224 270 247 
			 Section 67 88 89 118 115 111 
			 Section 78 355 321 350 376 320 
			 1 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. 4 Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 includes rape of a male or female child aged under 16 and attempted rape of male or female child under 16 5 Section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of assault by penetration, but does not separately identify the age of the victim 6 Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of rape and attempted rape of children under 13 by a male 7 S6 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of assault of children under 13 by penetration 8 S7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of sexual assault of children under 13. Note: Section 1 and 5 data also includes those proceedings and outcomes under the Sexual Offences Act 1956. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Offences Against Children: Northern Ireland

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to articles (a) 5 and 6, where the victim was a child, and (b) 12, 13 and 14 of the Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 in each of the last four years.

Damian Green: Our laws in these areas are robust and clear. The Government takes very seriously all matters relating to the sexual abuse of children. Those who commit sexual offences are more likely to go to prison now than in 2010.
	The number of defendants convicted of offences under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the victim was a child under 16, together with all offences under sections 2, 5, 6 and 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 can be viewed in the table. As the Sexual Offences Act 2003 replaced the Sexual Offences Act 1956 for these offences all proceedings reflect that Act too, as per the footnote.
	Statistics in respect of victims of offences under section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 cannot be broken down by age.
	Also, my Department's Court Proceedings Database holds information on criminal justice statistics only in England and Wales. Criminal justice statistics in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland. Likewise, criminal justice statistics in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.
	
		
			 Offenders found guilty of offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, England and Wales, 2008-121, 2 
			 Number 
			  20083 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Section 14 294 332 326 372 340 
			 Section 25 128 141 168 186 186 
			 Section 56 179 180 224 270 247 
			 Section 67 88 89 118 115 111 
			 Section 78 355 321 350 376 320 
			 1 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. 4 Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 includes rape of a male or female child aged under 16 and attempted rape of male or female child under 16. 5 Section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of assault by penetration, but does not separately identify the age of the victim. 6 Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of rape and attempted rape of children under 13 by a male. 7 Section 6 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of assault of children under 13 by penetration. 8 Section 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of sexual assault of children under 13. Note: Section 1 and 5 data also includes those proceedings and outcomes under the Sexual Offences Act 1956. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Offences Against Children: Scotland

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to sections (a) 1 and 2, where the victim was a child, and (b) 18, 19 and 20(1), (2)(a) and (3) of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 in each of the last four years.

Damian Green: Our laws in these areas are robust and clear. The Government takes very seriously all matters relating to the sexual abuse of children. Those who commit sexual offences are more likely to go to prison now than in 2010.
	The number of defendants convicted of offences under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the victim was a child under 16, together with all offences under sections 2, 5, 6 and 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 can be viewed in the table. As the Sexual Offences Act 2003 replaced the Sexual Offences Act 1956 for these offences all proceedings reflect that Act too, as per the footnote.
	Statistics in respect of victims of offences under section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 cannot be broken down by age.
	Also, my department's Court Proceedings Database holds information on criminal justice statistics only in England and Wales. Criminal Justice Statistics in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland. Likewise, Criminal Justice Statistics in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.
	
		
			 Offenders found guilty of offences under the Sexual Offences Act2003, England and Wales, 2008 to 20121,2 
			  20083 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Section 14 294 332 326 372 340 
			 Section 25 128 141 168 186 186 
			 Section 56 179 180 224 270 247 
			 Section 67 88 89 118 115 111 
			 Section 78 355 321 350 376 320 
			 1 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. 4 Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 includes rape of a male or female child aged under 16 and attempted rape of male or female child under 16. 
		
	
	
		
			 5 Section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of assault by penetration, but does not separately identify the age of the victim 6 Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of rape and attempted rape of children under 13 by a male. 7 S6 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of assault of children under 13 by penetration. 8 S7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 describes offences of sexual assault of children under 13. Note: Section 1 and 5 data also includes those proceedings and outcomes under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners' Release and Escapes

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many of each category of prisoner released from prison in error since May 2010 are still at large;
	(2)  how many prisoners in each category of prisoner who have absconded from prisons since May 2010 remain at large;
	(3)  how many escapes by prisoners there have been while being transported, by category of prisoner, in each month since May 2010;
	(4)  how many absconds from prison there have been, by month and category of prisoner, since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: Releases in error are taken very seriously and action has been taken to tighten processes and focus managers' attention in this area. Releases in error are infrequent and all incidents are subject to investigation. The majority of prisoners released in error are returned to custody quickly. In the 12 months to September 2013 there were 46 releases in error from prison, which equated to 0.06% of all discharges from prison. This compares to 68 in 2009-10.
	The following table shows the number of prisoners who have not subsequently returned to custody following a release in error from prison between May 2010 and September 2013 and broken down by the security category recorded on the National Offender Management Information System. This information is accurate as of 4 March 2014.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of prisoners not subsequently returned to custody following release in error from prison between May 2010 and September 2013, by category 
			 Category Number 
			 Category C 13 
			 Female (Closed) 3 
			 Uncategorised 8 
		
	
	It is important to note that not all prisoners released in error will be unlawfully at large and subject to recall. For example, they may be unconvicted prisoners released in error whose cases have been concluded since their release without a custodial sentence.
	These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	The number of releases in error may change should further incidents be reported.
	The number of absconds has come down sharply from a level of 947 in 2002-03 to 204 in 2012-13.
	Table 2 provides a breakdown of the number of absconds, by month between May 2010 and March 2013. Table 3 shows the number of absconders still unlawfully at large, by category, having absconded between May 2010 and March 2013. It is not possible to provide details of absconds by category of prisoner. The category of prisoner at time of release in error is not recorded in incident reports and live data shows details of the current security category only; it has therefore, only been possible to provide the category of those who are currently unlawfully at large (table 3). Prisoners held in immigration removal centres are not subject to security categorisation. Over 97% of prisoners who abscond are re-captured and returned to custody. On re-capture the prisoner will be returned to a closed prison and referred to the police for consideration for prosecution for having been unlawfully at large.
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of absconds between May 2010 and March 2013, by month 
			  Number of absconds 
			 May 2010 23 
			 June 2010 21 
			 July 2010 17 
			 August 2010 25 
			 September 2010 28 
			 October 2010 17 
			 November 2010 15 
			 December 2010 23 
			 January 2011 11 
			 February 2011 15 
			 March 2011 14 
			 April 2011 8 
			 May 2011 12 
			 June 2011 16 
			 July 2011 13 
			 August 2011 17 
			 September 2011 16 
			 October 2011 19 
			 November 2011 16 
			 December 2011 17 
			 January 2012 9 
			 February 2012 12 
			 March 2012 20 
			 April 2012 21 
			 May 2012 15 
			 June 2012 17 
			 July 2012 20 
			 August 2012 23 
			 September 2012 15 
			 October 2012 15 
			 November 2012 12 
			 December 2012 20 
			 January 2013 15 
			 February 2013 16 
			 March 2013 15 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Number of prisoners unlawfully at large following abscond between May 2010 and March 2013, by category 
			 Category Number 
			 D 16 
			 Not categorised 2 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	Escapes from transit include escapes from Prison Service and Contractor Escorts. The majority of escorts take place without incident and escapes whilst in transit are rare; there have been 10 since May 2010. This should be seen in relation to the 871,802 prisoners handled by the escort service in 2012-13 alone.
	Table 4 shows the number of escapes in transit, in each month between May 2010 and March 2013. All these prisoners have subsequently been recaptured.
	
		
			 Table 4: Month and category of prisoners who escaped in transit between May 2010 and March 2013 
			  Category 
			 May 2010 Uncategorised 
			 May 2011 Cat B 
			 July 2011 Uncategorised 
			 July 2011 Uncategorised 
			 August 2011 Uncategorised 
			 December 2011 Uncategorised 
			 January 2012 Uncategorised 
			 January 2012 Potential Category A 
			 October 2012 Uncategorised 
			 November 2012 Uncategorised 
		
	
	The number of both escapes and absconds have reduced significantly in recent years. Figures for the number of escapes and absconds since 1995 are provided in the Prison Digest contained in the Prison and Probation Trusts Performance Statistics. This can be found at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225234/prison-performance-digest-12-13.xls